Should part of Belfius be sold to meet the State's budgetary needs? The question resurfaces in public debate as rising military spending calls for new revenue.
“Sell Belfius now? That's a no,” says Georges-Louis Bouchez in an interview with La Libre. For him, the priority must be creating a large Belgian financial group by merging Belfius and Ethias. Two complementary entities, with the same type of customers, strong public roots and a wide territorial network. Together, they could form a substantial, profitable, competitive bank-insurer, better valued over time.
And afterwards? Yes, a stock market listing could be considered, but at the right time, once the group is consolidated. It would then be a coherent IPO, with maximum profit for the State shareholder. In the meantime, keeping Belfius means preserving a strategic tool that generates dividends and can support future investments.
As for concerns about the location of Ethias's headquarters in Liège, the MR President offers a sensible answer: short-term guarantees can be given, but they must not hold back an industrial project of national scale.
For the MR, Belgium needs economic strength, not short-term liquidations. That is why Georges-Louis Bouchez champions a vision: that of a strong, profitable Belgian champion serving the country.